Page 7 of Ethan’s Dazzling Daddies

It shifted something for Ethan too. Maybe he could have Jacob the way he wanted. Maybe courage was the thing he needed to embrace and the piece of his life that had been lacking.

Because if he had courage, he could stand up to Ash. He could find another way to secure the insurance he needed without feeling like a burden. He could ask Jacob to be his, so that they could be a couple.

If Koa and Manny could manage it, then why couldn't he and Jacob?

CHAPTER 3

Ethan was torn. The change in Ash hurt worse than before anything was different. He'd been given a false sense of hope — one he had believed in enough to let his guard down, to trust this man — and now he'd been burned for it.

Ethan spent day after day a nervous wreck, building up the courage to hopefully leave. Without insurance, though, it was tricky, and he didn't really have a solution in mind. He only knew that something had to give, and it had to be soon.

The one bright spot in all of it was Jacob. The other man had been sincere about wanting to be close to Ethan. He'd shown up more than once at the club with food and a smile.

It was just enough to keep Ethan coming back when all he wanted to do was bury himself away in his apartment.

Koa had noticed the shift in Ethan. More than once he'd asked if things were okay, if there was anything he could do, and whether they could have a serious discussion about what Ethan's job actually entailed. Koa was going to push harder for Ethan to come work with him.

Ethan didn't need a crystal ball to know that. Didn't need anyone to explain it. His friend was too nice to watch Ethan continue to suffer. Koa was loving and kind, believing everyone deserved to be treated with respect.

Respect that Ethan didn't get in his current role.

Sure, he felt important there. He could see how his role benefited Ash's company, knew that without him things would fall apart. Even so, Ash continued to be a jerk. He continued to poke at Ethan. None of it was directly malicious, but the kindness he'd briefly shown was long gone.

Ethan's psychiatrist, after one particularly rough day, mentioned he should take a break. A few days off to recoup and rebalance. Ethan had laughed him off. There was no way he would get a break, not during the stretch of year they were in. Back-to-back meetings filled his boss's schedule and there was no sign of it stopping, not for a few more months.

“You are going to burn out epically, Ethan,” he'd been told. “And I, as your doctor, cannot allow you to continue without advising a change.”

“But my boss needs me,” Ethan had insisted. “The company needs me. I'm what keeps him from losing it on others.”

His psychiatrist leaned forward at that, his gaze intense. “But who is protecting you, Ethan? Who is there to make sure you don't burn out, that you aren't the one absorbing your boss's wrath?”

The words stopped Ethan cold. There wasn't anyone to protect him. No one who knew just how Ash really was, or that his frustration was often unleashed when Ethan was nearest.

It might not have been directly pointed at him, but it was always Ethan's job to make it better.

He left his appointment that day with the resolve that he had to request PTO. With each day that crept closer to his time off, Ethan felt a little lighter. He looked forward to simply being at home without worrying about a meeting on the calendar, or whether his boss was going to want a particular type of food that day and he'd have to figure it out.

Initially his request had been denied. But after speaking with Ash, he’d been given the approval to have the few days he needed. Of all the things Ash had reverted back on, this wasn’t one.

Ethan was smiling to himself in the office, his mind already on what activities he would plan at the club during his break, when his boss's voice cut through his thoughts.

“We have that meeting tomorrow at three. Make sure you're not late.”

Ethan froze, looking over at Ash with wide eyes. “I don't have a meeting tomorrow.”

“You do.” Ash didn't look up from his paperwork. “We have a meeting. You always go with me. I need you to take notes and make sure everyone is on the same page. Why is that so hard to understand today?”

Ethan bristled. “It's not hard to understand, but I think you're confused. I have PTO, remember? There's no way I'll be around for whatever meeting at whatever time.” Ethan couldn't hide the sarcasm in his tone. He knew exactly what time the meeting was since he'd scheduled it. That didn't mean he had to play nice with Ash when the man was being obtuse.

Ash glanced up at him. The look he gave Ethan would have rattled others, but Ethan knew it wouldn't affect him. At least not in the way his boss hoped. He'd been on the other side of it too many times.

Plus, this was something he wouldn't budge on. His health was important. He knew there was no getting around that.

The silence between them stretched on. Ethan reflexively wanted to just agree and move past it the longer it dragged out. It was that familiar feeling of bending to the other man's will and recognizing it was what changed everything.

He stood up a little straighter. His gaze sharpened and he crossed his arms. “Do you expect me to come in for this meeting tomorrow? Yes or no.”

Ash sighed. “Yes, of course. I'm talking to you about it right now, Ethan. What is this all about?”